🌻 The Blood in Our Names
Seo Ju's heart hammered in his chest as his eyes darted across the dimly lit room, searching with frantic precision. Every shadow seemed to hide a clue, a trail, a whisper of Yun Yuhua's whereabouts. His brothers still failed to grasp the gravity of the man before them—the Crown Prince of Joseon—yet nothing mattered more than finding his little sister. Jinji approached, a folded map in his hands, fresh from Seo Ju's secret hideaway. He laid it out before Seo Ju, then stepped back, watching with quiet intensity as Seo Ju's eyes narrowed, scanning the map.
Seo Ju's voice cut through the tense silence like a blade, low but firm. "The Queen is behind this. I know her patterns—five locations she frequents for her plots. Tian Ke, you take the northern route. It's the busiest. Once you finish, assist Qian'ai here."
His gaze hardened as he turned to Jinji. "Jinji, you head east. Take Do-hae. I'll go south. If I fail to return... you must continue. You must assist me." His eyes met each of theirs, unflinching. "Do not falter. The Queen is treacherous, and her father's power supports her. The King himself may yet turn the tide against us."
The men nodded without hesitation, understanding the weight of their task. No time to waste. Seo Ju mounted his horse, spurring it forward with urgency. The wind bit at his face, but it was Yun Yuhua's life that drove him. Her life dangled by a fragile thread. If he was too late—if he failed—her blood would stain his hands, and the Queen's palace would burn for it.
Meanwhile, Yun Yuhua's eyes fluttered open, her senses muddled by the remnants of the drug. She'd trained her body to withstand poisons since childhood, and this one had been weak. Her limbs felt like dead weight, but her mind remained sharp, calculating, alert. The men who had captured her dragged her through the woods, their hushed voices a low murmur, discussing her fate.
A cold shiver ran down her spine as the blindfold tightened. The faint rush of water reached her ears, distorted, like the sound of a waterfall, guiding her toward a cave. She strained her senses, every nerve on edge, listening for any hint of their next move. Pretending to be unconscious, she slowed her breath, her body still—until she could strike.
The footsteps grew more frantic. One voice—greedy, eager—spoke from the shadows. "She's the Crown Princess's blood—her daughter, or granddaughter! If I claim her... and the Crown Prince dies, the throne will be mine. It's my birthright!" The man's voice trembled, fueled by hunger and ambition.
Yun Yuhua's lips curled into a cold sneer. Pathetic. They had no idea who they were dealing with. They thought she was helpless.
Another voice hesitated, uncertain. "But didn't the Queen order us to kill her?"
A sharp slap echoed through the cave. Go Nam, the Queen's personal attendant, growled in fury. "I will not follow her orders! The Joseon royal family is cursed. They slaughtered her family when she disappeared. She should be grateful that I've come to offer her what is rightfully hers." He smiled, darkly, as he turned toward Yun Yuhua. The words struck her like a blow. The man who had dared to lay hands on her family, the same one who would dare claim the throne as his own.
Suddenly, another figure emerged from the shadows. He tore the blindfold from Yun Yuhua's eyes with a smirk, his gaze locking with hers. Her heart skipped a beat, though she refused to show weakness.
Kyung Muwon.
She recognized him immediately—the same man who had drawn a sword on her when Ae-shim was taken from the village. The same man who had left prison on a bond. His grin only deepened as he looked at her.
"So, you've awakened, have you?" His voice was casual, almost mocking. "As expected. You are a fighter."
Yun Yuhua's glare could have burned a hole through the stone beneath her. Her body remained tense, coiled like a spring. Kyung Muwon, ever the enigma, stood there with his usual ease, as if everything in this world were a game to him. But his words, his very presence, stirred something deeper in her. This is the man who has haunted my nightmares.
He leaned closer, his voice soft, but his gaze calculating. "Such a rare beauty… It's a shame you must be caught up in such a miserable fate."
Her eyes flicked toward Go Nam, who was grinning like a wolf about to feast on prey.
Yun Yuhua whispered harshly, just loud enough for Kyung Muwon to hear, "Bastard."
"You're awake," Muwon's voice was cool, but there was a note of amusement in it. "As expected. Of course, you would manage. You're no ordinary woman."
Yun Yuhua's eyes snapped to him, a glare that could cut glass. Then her gaze moved to Go Nam, who chuckled, clearly entertained.
"Is she truly that incredible?" Go Nam asked, his voice filled with a mix of admiration and lust. Muwon's expression was contemplative, his eyes drawn to Yun Yuhua's beauty.
"She's rare," Muwon answered quietly, a slight grin tugging at his lips.
Go Nam's grin deepened, his eyes glinting with something dangerous. "Then she'll learn what it means to please a man of power."
He edged closer, but Yun Yuhua wasted no time. In a fluid motion, she bent her arms around, pulling them in front of her. With one swift knee to her bonds, she broke the ropes around her wrists. The cloth gagging her mouth was torn away in the next breath, and her foot shot out, landing a powerful kick to Go Nam's chest. The force of it sent him stumbling back, but Muwon stepped in, yanking Go Nam out of harm's way.
"Who are you bastards?!" Yun Yuhua's voice was fierce as she addressed them in fluent Joseon. "How do you know my grandmother?"
Muwon's eyes sparkled with interest. He whistled low, clearly impressed. "Speaking Joseon so well. And such beauty... What a stunner."
Yun Yuhua's body shifted in preparation, every muscle coiled. Muwon smirked, a predatory gleam in his eye, then lunged forward with a punch. Yun Yuhua dodged effortlessly, spinning to kick him in the back. He nimbly evaded the strike and drew a dagger. Before he could swing it, Yun Yuhua's elbow slammed into his side, knocking him off-balance.
She turned quickly, heading for Go Nam, but Muwon was already on his feet. He grabbed the rope and looped it around her neck, yanking her down to the ground with a harsh tug. Yun Yuhua groaned in pain but refused to relent. With a twist of her legs, she kicked him away, using the momentum to sit up and kneel.
"Impressive," Muwon said, his tone a mixture of admiration and approval.
Go Nam's voice was laced with fear and frustration. "What do you mean, 'impressive'? She's a killer! Tie her down! Her grandmother was weak... How could she be stronger than that? They were supposed to be princesses, not warriors!"
Yun Yuhua, not yet defeated, tried to lunge at Go Nam again, but Muwon used the rope to bind her waist, pulling her down with ease. With a surge of fury, she spun around and landed a punch squarely in his chest. Before she could turn back to Go Nam, another man kicked her in the right shoulder, sending her crashing to the ground. A painful grunt escaped her lips, but she gritted her teeth, determined not to give in.
Then, from the entrance of the cave, the sounds of clashing swords and men screaming filled the air. The heavy thud of bodies hitting the floor echoed in the tense silence.
"His Highness has arrived!" a voice shouted from the shadows. Go Nam's face twisted in fury, his eyes wide with panic.
"How... how did he find us?!" he demanded, his voice sharp with disbelief.
There! Seo Ju.
His frantic face. Staring at Yun Yuhua on the ground. As soon as their eyes locked, she teared up. He was glad that she was still breathing. She was glad that he was unharmed after going through them. Seo Ju glared at Go Nam.
"Are you committing treason right now?" Seo Ju questioned angrily. Yun Yuhua was confused by the words. Go Nam smirked.
"You know who she is… That's why you're keeping her away from His Majesty, the King. She's that missing Crown Princess your grandfather murdered!" Go Nam revealed while laughing. Seo Ju was stunned. The dark secret that only the royal family had known, now exposed.
Yun Yuhua's face lost all color as the words struck her like thunder. Murdered? A king? What treacherous game was fate playing—forcing her heart to waver before the grandson of the man who had slain her grandmother?
"Kill him! Lord Jung will sing praises if he dies!" Go Nam bellowed. The men behind Seo Ju drew their blades without hesitation. But Yun Yuhua would not let harm come to him.
Without thinking, she struck—her foot landing hard against Go Nam's ribs, sending him to the ground with a guttural cry. In a blink, she knocked the weapons from the others' hands, steel clattering onto stone.
"Ahh!" Go Nam cried out in pain.
She seized Seo Ju's hand. "Run!"
Together, they fled the cave, feet pounding against the earth. Behind them, shouts grew louder—closer. At last, they halted—breathless—before a sheer drop. A cliff. They turned. The pursuers stood before them. Go Nam's grin was twisted, triumphant.
"Filthy wretch," he spat. "Once he is dead, you'll feel the full measure of my fury. You'll beg for death before I'm done. I'll see you silken-draped upon my red bed, trembling from my touch."
Yun Yuhua's lip curled into a smirk at the pathetic-looking eunuch. Seo Ju stepped forward, shielding her with his body. His glare could have frozen fire.
"You dare utter such filth in my presence?" His voice was low and lethal. "I'll see your manhood fed to the dogs before you ever lay a hand on her."
"Charge!" Go Nam barked.
His men rushed in. Seo Ju met them head-on—dodging some, slashing down others. Blood sprayed the cave floor. A few blades caught him, slicing through cloth and skin, but he pressed forward, relentless.
He returned to Yun Yuhua, blood dripping from his sleeve. She reached for his sword, eyes blazing, ready to fight by his side.
SWOOSH!
An arrow tore through the air. Yun Yuhua's eyes snapped to the archer—Kyung Muwon—smirking from the shadows.
"Seo Ju!" she cried, grabbing his chest and yanking him back just in time.
But the motion threw her off balance. Her heel slipped against the cliff's edge—gravel gave way beneath her feet.
She fell.
Seo Ju's heart stopped. "Yuhua!"
Her hands remained at her sides, clenched tight against her will. She refused to reach for him, even as the ground disappeared beneath her.
He dove after her without a second thought, his body plunging into the air.
Only then—when he was the one to jump, the one to chase her—did her emotions explode. Her hand shot out, desperate, and in the chaos of the fall, he caught it.
Together, they tumbled, bodies entwined, into the roaring river below—swept toward the crashing waterfall.